St Jude

Has anyone had any issues with the new cellphone, using 4G Lite, increase power causing issues with their pacemaker?

3 Comments

cellphone

by labgirl1967 - 2014-02-20 09:02:09

SteveE, Interesting but my cellphone was in my lab when my defibulator started to charge. It caused the phone to vibrate. So something is going on.

Cell Phone

by SteveE - 2014-02-20 09:02:47

I sincerely doubt that you would have any issues with any model cell phone and any pacemaker. The cell phone just does not put out enough power to make any difference.

I operate an amateur radio transmitter, and when I received my pacemaker I called Boston Scientific tech support. A very knowledgeable tech there assured me that my 100-watt transmitter would be no problem. He said that I would need to transmit more than 10 times the 100 watts before I would even have to evaluate any further. For comparison, cell phones put out about 1/10 (one tenth) of a watt or less. Truly insignificant.

If you are worried, I suggest that you call the tech support line for your device's manufacturer. They have tested the devices and can give you all the details.

Phone & Defib

by SteveE - 2014-02-21 10:02:46

It is possible that the defibrillator did something that the phone picked up as a signal. That I have not researched. I was only trying to put your mind at ease that the phone would not do anything to your PM/defibrillator.

Defibrillator doing something to a phone? Maybe, as the phone has a radio receiver in it and may have picked up the noise signal from the defibrillator.

Hmmm, maybe you should keep the phone around as a warning for when the device is charging up to smack you.

You know you're wired when...

Your ICD has a better memory than you.

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